My experience setting up an Australian bank account with ANZ

Earlier this year (I was still in NZ), when I tried to open an account online, many links on their websites (both AU and NZ) were dead for some reason, so I decided to go to my local ANZ branch and see if they can help me open an Aussie account. It turns out the kiwi ANZ and oz ANZ operate quite independently these days. All they could do was making a phone call for me, which is something we could all do at home.

When I arrived in AU, I went to a local ANZ and it turned out their system start to charge fees before the application of the accounts are finalized. They are nice enough to waive those fees charged before I arrived in AU but it is still more hassle for them and their customers (and since I called them before a promotional period, I am not eligible for the rewards offered when I arrive in AU, but that is just me luck...). Personally I recommend opening the account after landing in AU because the whole process should not take more than 30 min. Talking over the phone when I was still in NZ just made things more confusing. Just make sure to have enough money before they send you your cards. You can also move the money from NZ when waiting for the cards to arrive.

Another thing, since the smartgates do not stamp our passports now, make sure to keep your boarding pass because a lot of places, including banks and medicare offices, kept asking for my proof of arrival date.

I hope these information will turn out to be helpful.

Cheers

Kun-Lin